On this date, 29 years ago, one of the greatest films in the gangster genre was released in theaters. That's right, I'm talking about the highly praised Scorsese film, Goodfellas. It was nominated for six Academy Awards with one win (Joe Pesci, the GOAT) for Best Supporting Actor and was preserved by the National Film Registry as culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant. Without Goodfellas, there is no Sopranos, with four actors appearing in both. (Lorraine Bracco, Frank Vincent, Michael Imperioli, and Tony Sirico). The film stars Ray Liotta as Henry Hill, an associate with the Lucchese crime family from 1955 to 1980 before getting flipped as an FBI informant. His testimony helped secure 50 convictions including Paul Vario and Jimmy "The Gent" (played by Robert DiNiro). Hill's crime life began at 11 years old in Brownsville (a neighborhood in Brooklyn where 40 years later my AAU team would get run out of the gym), when Henry began looking for part-time work after school. He began running errands and serving drinks at the neighborhood card games. At 14 he was given a union card with the bricklayers' local where he would "no show" to collect a legitimate paycheck while he facilitated the pickup of daily loan payments to Paul Vario, the local Lucchese made man. At 17, he enlisted in the Army for three years in order to avoid an FBI investigation. In 1963, he returned to New York to begin his most notorious criminal acts including arson, intimidation, running an organized stolen car ring, and fixing Boston College basketball games. In 1967, Hill and Tommy DeSimone (Joe Pesci) robbed Air France of $420,000 (the modern equivalent of $3.1 MILLION) cash from their strong-room at JFK Airport. Hill was arrested in 1972 for extortion and sentenced to 10 years of which he served 4 before being released on parole. This was the basis of the famous Goodfellas "Prison Scene" and was also where Hill began trafficking drugs which ultimately led to his downfall. He was arrested again in 1980, this time on narcotics-trafficking, which would give a longer sentence and potentially get Hill "whacked." Following his testimony, Hill entered the Witness Protection Program living under various aliases in Omaha and Seattle. I'm not entirely sure how making a feature film about your life keeps you in the Witness Protection Program but oh well. Hill passed away in 2012 from heart disease. (Might have had to do with all the ranch dressing on his sandwiches but I digress, RIP.)
Henry Hill: Chipotle Chicken, Swiss, Tomato, Banana Peppers, Ranch Dressing
I'm ranch over blue cheese any day of the week...when it comes to a buffalo wing dipping sauce. But I have a startling confession to make: ranch dressing on its own is not great. I don't love it. It needs some other sauce mixed in the balance it. That's why this sandwich didn't blow me away. I was too distracted by the ranch. Chipotle chicken, fantastic. Banana Peppers, give them to me all day. But I just couldn't shake off the ranch. Mix in some Frank's Red Hot and this sandwich shoots up the power rankings but as is I have no choice but to give it a 5.1. If you love ranch you'll LOVE this sandwich, I mean this should probably be your go-to. Sorry ranch lovers, let me make it up to you with this hilarious video of Joe Pesci earning every bit of the Best Supporting Actor win and maybe the greatest movie improv scene in history (also basis of all-time "rich people laughing gif".)
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